Charge your gadgets with the SOLo Solar Lounge Table

Of all the solar-powered devices we’ve seen this year, I have to say that this is probably the most classy-looking one. But yes, I have to admit that the sexy lady in the picture may had something to do with this impression. The SOLo Lounge Table by iF has been designed to collect solar energy from all over its surface, allowing you to charge your gadgets from built-in rechargeable batteries. Apparently, by leaving the table outside for a full year, it could store enough power to charge your mobile phone up to 6,800 times or your laptop 168 times. The thing supports Bluetooth and features a built-in system monitor, USB ports, and a car-like 12V socket. It is also completely weatherproof, so in theory, you could leave it outside during a downpour… not that we would recommend it.





Dying professor’s YouTube “Last Lecture” becomes instant best-seller

By Mark O’Neill

A university professor who is dying of cancer and whose “Last Lecture” became a viral sensation on YouTube is now seeing that lecture become number one on online bestseller lists.

Randy Pausch, a computer-science professor from Carnegie Mellon University, is dying from pancreatic cancer and at the time of his lecture last year, he was expected to live for only a few months. But ironically enough, he is still alive today, having had the immense strength and fortitude to fight the illness.

He was invited to Carnegie Mellon last year to give a “last lecture”. Other people have done this and for them, it was a hypothetical exercise. For Professor Pausch however, with time rapidly running out, it was definately not hypothetical. He gave the best line ever which cracked up the audience : “I’ve experienced a deathbed conversion : I bought a Macintosh!”

His lecture is all about perserverence and not giving up. It was a moving speech and it was taped for his very young kids so they can watch their dad when they are older and when he’s not around anymore. At the end, a birthday cake was rolled out for his wife, whose birthday was the previous day. At this point, I lost it completely and I was bawling my eyes out.

And now he has turned the whole lecture into a book called “The Last Lecture“. He’s appeared on Oprah (of course) and he’s now a superstar.

And here is the lecture that started it all:

The End of the Internet?

By JR Raphael
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

Okay, so we made it past the doomsday of Y2K…but now, another technological apocalypse is on the way. At least, if you believe AT&T.

A company exec has started quite the buzz by predicting we’ll reach the end of the internet by the year 2010. CNET News reported the warnings from AT&T’s vice president of legislative affairs, Jim Cicconi, made during a London-based eForum this week.

“We are going to be butting up against the physical capacity of the internet,” CNET reports Cicconi claiming.

The exec’s reported comments go on to say the ever-increasing amounts of high bandwidth content, such as videos and other multimedia streams, will reach a point that’s higher than the current internet infrastructure can handle. And his statements get even more extreme, going as far as claiming that within three years, “20 typical households will generate more traffic than the entire internet today.”

Of course, Cicconi goes on to mention how AT&T is spending billions of dollars to upgrade its systems to stay ahead of the curve.

So is this a real threat, or is it just another Y2K-esque conspiracy theory? Let’s weigh it against other 2010 predictions floating around the net right now:

  • Religious author Roderick C. Meredith says the world could end altogether in under two years. Better back up your data.
  • Others interpret biblical texts to believe a worldwide holocaust will come that same year.
  • In a slightly less deadly prediction, business expert Dave Chase foresees Google as becoming the world’s biggest ad agency by 2010.
  • Back in the late 80s, Apple put out a promo showing the computer of the year 2010. The video is worth a watch.
  • Audience-measuring giant Nielsen sees valet parking and metal detectors at grocery stores by 2010.
  • And, slightly later, the geek classic Back to the Future 2 had a grand vision for the year 2015. I, for one, am still hoping it happens.

Do you buy the “end of the internet” theory, or any of the other predictions above? Or maybe you have some insight of your own? The floor is open for discussion. And if your premonition includes the hoverboard, for the love of God, let me know where it’ll be sold.

Going online with that wi-fi comrade?

By Mark O’Neill

Russia is a country that I love but it is also a country that fills me with despair. While it is rich with history, culture and wonderful people, it also can’t decide whether it wants to be free or whether it likes to be stamped on by a dictator’s foot.

It seems that the latest directive from the “Mass Media, Communications and Cultural Protection Service” (I’ll spare you the Russian name of the department) has declared that all internet wireless devices owned by private citizens have to be registered with the Russian government before that citizen goes online. Obviously the decree is aimed at monitoring people’s internet activities and it smacks of old-fashioned state control, just like in the good old Soviet days. Which makes it even more laughable when Russia under the leadership of the Putin Corporation declares that it is now a democracy.

I can’t seem to find out the punishment for not obeying the rules but I can say with all certainty that the ultimate punishment of the old days is long gone (at least I certainly hope so). If you fail to register your wi-fi device, you’ll probably just get slapped on the wrist with a fine or maybe even get your device confiscated. But even so, this is a shocking dictatorial move on the part of the Russian authorities. Plus can you imagine the sheer amount of paperwork involved in such a bureaucratic move? How many people in Russia have wi-fi devices today? Millions! Probably more.

This got me to thinking – if the Soviet Union was still around today, how would it deal with the Internet? Would the KGB simply shut down the web in Russia? Or would they simply do what China is currently doing and institute a stringent filtering system? What do you think?

Cell Phone Payment: A Cash Machine in your Pocket

By JR Raphael
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

We’ve all been there. You’re waiting in line when suddenly you reach for your back pocket…and realize your wallet isn’t there. Well, good news, fellow geeks: The days of needing cash or even a credit card to pay for purchases are almost behind us. The cell phone is gaining new power in the world of payment and can actually connect you to cash right now – if you know how to make it happen.

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Yochai Benkler: Open-source economics

In the following video, Law professor Yochai Benkler explains how collaborative projects like Wikipedia and Linux represent the next stage of human organization. By disrupting traditional economic production, copyright law and established competition, they’re paving the way for a new set of economic laws, where empowered individuals are put on a level playing field with industry giants.